School bus involved in accident, no students onboard

A Minooka School District 201 school bus flipped on its side Wednesday morning after an accident. There were no students on the bus at the time.

MINOOKA – Although there were no students on the Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 school bus that was struck and overturned Wednesday morning, Superintendent Al Gegenheimer wishes he had called off school.

The accident happened about 7:45 a.m. Wednesday. Minooka Police Chief Justin Meyer said the preliminary investigation showed a vehicle was turning east onto Minooka Road from International Parkway South and hit a vehicle traveling east on Minooka Road.

The vehicle that was struck spun out and hit the school bus head-on, which was traveling west. The bus went into the ditch and tipped on it’s side.

“Thank goodness no students were on the bus,” Meyer said.

District 201 was open for school Wednesday despite the snow.

“As you can see we were fortunate that no children were on the bus. It makes me think that maybe we should have canceled school [like Morris area schools did],” Gegenheimer said an in email to the Morris Daily Herald. “I was out at 4 a.m. driving those nasty roads [throughout our 72-square-mile district], before the snow plows were out in town. I was communicating frequently with other area superintendents including Grundy folks, but also all of the surrounding Will County superintendents. I talked with road commissioners and other snow plow drivers. At 5:30 a.m. I made the decision to have a ‘late start’ to allow the snow plows more time to clear the roads.”

“Again, I may handle this situation differently next time,” he added.

All parties involved refused medical transport, the chief said. Meyer said the bus driver later went to the hospital complaining of a wrist injury.

The investigation is ongoing, and no drivers had been cited as of Wednesday afternoon.